Klawock hosts Living Well Alaska chronic disease classes

Posted: Sunday, August 23, 2009

KLAWOCK - Do you or a loved one have a chronic disease, such as arthritis, diabetes or heart disease, and do you feel limited by it? Do you feel like you're spending too much time with the doctor or at the hospital? The Living Well Alaska workshops will teach you how to self-manage your disease so you start to feel better.

The SEARHC Diabetes and Health Promotion programs at the Alicia Roberts Medical Center in Klawock, the Southeast Senior Services Klawock Senior Center and the State of Alaska Chronic Disease Self-Management Program are sponsoring a series of six free weekly Living Well Alaska workshops on six straight Tuesday mornings from Sept. 29 through Nov. 3 for Prince of Wales Island residents. The Living Well Alaska workshops take place from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Sept. 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27 and Nov. 3, at the Klawock Senior Center second-floor reading room, 465 Summit St.

"Chronic conditions oftentimes leave people and their loved ones so overwhelmed that they are unable to fully enjoy their lives," said Julie Sturtevant, RN, SEARHC Diabetes Case Manager at the Alicia Roberts Medical Center. "It's our hope that by SEARHC partnering with the Southeast Senior Services Klawock Senior Center and the State of Alaska Chronic Disease Management Program to offer the Living Well Alaska workshops to POW communities, we can empower people and help them feel better about their lives. Research on this program has shown participants are able to manage their symptoms better and communicate more easily with their doctors and loved ones."

These workshops are for people and their families who have arthritis, asthma, chronic pain, diabetes, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, lung disease and/or any other chronic conditions that require constant care. Participants will learn how to manage their symptoms; get started with healthy eating and exercise; communicate effectively with their doctor and health care team, manage their fear, anger and frustration; make daily tasks easier; and get more out of life.

For more information about this series of free workshops, contact SEARHC Alicia Roberts Medical Center Diabetes Case Manager Julie Sturtevant, RN, at 907-755-4975 or by e-mail at julie.sturtevant@searhc.org, or call Southeast Senior Services Klawock Senior Center Service Coordinator Beverlee Tyner at 907-755-2388. Residents wanting to learn more about the Living Well Alaska workshops can go to /www.hss.state.ak.us/dph/chronic/smp to download a brochure.